


becoming my own self-fulfilled prophecy

by cosmic97



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Demigods, Emotional Constipation, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Families of Choice, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Rick Riordan Demigod Universe | Riordanverse, Team as Family, its a demigod au, other idols as background characters - Freeform, some of the members have no idea how to deal with feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:54:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23915650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmic97/pseuds/cosmic97
Summary: camp half-blood, the safe haven for twenty-one demigods that are doing their best to stay alive and stay out of drama.or the nct demigod au where taeyong is their leader, yuta is cursed by aphrodite and so much more, all told in the format of connected oneshots.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Lee Taeyong/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten, Wong Kun Hang | Hendery/Xiao De Jun | Xiao Jun
Comments: 5
Kudos: 58





	1. descendants of aphrodite should never be questioned

**Author's Note:**

> hello there,  
> this is a fic based on a thread of mine that I did almost two years ago on my old twitter account where I assigned all of the members (at the time) a godly parent and / or legacy. i was very pleased with it and started this fic before i stopped stanning nct in feb 2019. it's been over a year but I've been getting back into the swing of things and I've missed writing for nct so much. I have so much planned and it makes me excited so I hope you enjoy.  
> there will be a link that takes you to the new revised thread of all things nct demigod au and I advice that you look through that first (aka before you read) since it gives some background info on each of the members, as well as their godly parent/legacy. I'll of course be introducing them one by one through these one shots but that thread is like a predecessor so it would be good to be familiar with it.  
> [nct demigod au thread](https://twitter.com/cosmic_3racha/status/1258122351205646338?s=19%22rel=%22nofollow%22)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a regular day in the life of lee taeyong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to chapter one of my pride & joy, enjoy ~

“na jaemin!”

“excuse me hyung!” na jaemin yells in a rush as he runs past him. taeyong wonders briefly which sibling he's being chased by, but his question is answered when he spots yeri from the corner of his eye.

she's holding golden apples and is throwing them one by one at jaemin as he runs.

"stop running you coward!" she yells, her eyes gleaming with anger. 

taeyong is a brave man but he's not suicidal. even though he's the camp unofficial leader, he thinks he'll let them settle it in between themselves.

_children of aphrodite,_ taeyong thinks with a shudder. he'll never understand them and that's probably for the better.

with that being said, he's smart enough to take another way to the cabins so as to not get involved with whatever is occuring in cabin ten.

he makes his way to the lake and can't help but smile when he sees the scene in front of him. 

chenle is attempting to push jisung into the water but the son of demeter is faster. something he clearly knows as he taunts the son of hades.

taeyong only hopes chenle won't raise the dead, the camp has only just fixed the damage he did last time.

mark and yukhei are swimming, smiling away and encouraging jisung to run faster. he can only shake his head fondly. no matter how old they get, they'll still be the same ten years olds in his mind.

donghyuck is cuddling next to all three of his boyfriends, happily soaking up the sunlight. maybe it's an illusion, but he seems to shine brighter than usual. 

he squints, wondering how jaemin managed to escape from yeri so quickly.

he shrugs. he's learned to let children (or any descendant) of aphrodite be. questioning their behavior just gives him a headache. 

"darling." a voice purs into his ear. 

he smiles as arms wrap around his waist from behind. a kiss is pressed to his cheek and he snuggles into his boyfriend's hold.

"hello beautiful." he greets, "been keeping out of trouble?"

"of course! who do you think i am -- actually don't answer that." 

taeyong chuckles and turns around so he can look at ten. they've been dating for years yet he'll never get over how beautiful his boyfriend is.

he knows being a descendant of aphrodite enhances your looks but there's something about ten, something aside from his godly genetics that makes him _ethereal._

_or maybe you're just whipped,_ a snobby voice that sounds too much like doyoung for his liking says.

"you're beautiful, you know that." he says, far too enamored to think about how vulnerable he sounds.

children of athena are taught that feelings come last -- in war nothing can stand in your way. feelings are considered an unnecessary weakness. that being vulnerable and open is just as bad as waving a white flag.

he wonders when all of that stopped.

when he stopped being so cold and calculating. when he actually let himself _feel,_ when he let himself _live_.

"it comes with the job" ten teases but taeyong can see the blush on his cheeks.

he can't stop the pride that stems from his reaction.

ten is always a step ahead of everyone, is always looking over his shoulder, is afraid of letting anyone see who he really is. that's how it's always been ever since he first appeared at camp with a bloody nose and a mischievous smile that distracted from how guarded and sad his eyes were.

he knows he's ten's only exception. that he's the only one who can catch ten off guard, who can make him slow down, let the walls come down and realize that not everyone will hurt him and that he is worthy of being loved.

ten lighty taps his fingers on taeyong's temple, "i can hear the gears up here working on overdrive, what are you thinking about?"

he can't resist it, really it's _too_ easy.

"the grind never stops."

ten groans, taking a step back from him, "i hate you so much, i hope you know this, i'm physically cringing -- you see this? you're killing your boyfriend."

he rolls his eyes at his dramatics but can't help the giggles that escape from him.

he brings ten in for a hug who only mumbles about dumb boyfriends with nice arms.

"i love you." he whispers placing a kiss on ten's temple.

"cheesy."

"oh my god, just say it back."

ten sticks his tongue out at him before leaning up to kiss him. it's gentle and soft -- there's no rush, it's like they have all the time in the world.

he pulls away, eyes shining bright and a smile pulling at the corner of his lips, "i love you too you big dork."

"ewwww."

taeyong freezes and turns to see all of the kids staring at them. renjun is mimicking throwing up while mark is smirking at him, clearly ready to add it to the arsenal of teasing material he has on him.

the eww comes from chenle who ironically is holding jisung's hand.

"can you guys be gross somewhere else, we're trying to have a nice hangout." 

taeyong calms himself down so he doesn't attack renjun -- it wouldn't be smart, renjun is also a child of athena. a _very_ smart child of athena.

he looks at ten whose eyes are slightly glowing -- they always do that when he can feel tension or strife. he says it's his body's natural reaction to his _need_ for discord.

"fine we'll leave but remember, you have blueprints due tonight and i want a strategic report on how training sessions can be improved."

"i know, sheesh you're so bossy." renjun says and turns to complain to jeno who just stares fondly at him.

he complains but renjun loves his duties. it's a child of athena thing -- blueprints, improvement, reports and anything to do with warfield is like candy to them.

at least to _most_ , he thinks as he remembers a particular sibling of his.

he grabs ten's hand and pulls him along. ten allows himself to be dragged, only mildly complaining until they stop by a more secluded area.

"yongie." ten purs, as he nuzzles his face into taeyong's neck. 

he hums in response, he knows that tone of voice. it means nothing good but in the end he'll give in. he only allows himself to be pliant and disobedient when it comes to ten.

"we have a free hour and my cabin is empty."

"your cabin is always empty dear, you're the only one who sleeps there."

ten pouts, "yongie stop being a tease. _"_

he turns to place his hands on ten's waist, slipping his hands under his shirt to touch his soft skin.

"if you want something baby, use your words." 

ten glares but relents, "can we please go fuck in my cabin?"

"aww you even used please" taeyong mocks, almost condescendingly, but nods, "okay baby lead the way."

ten reconnects their hands and quickly pulls him along, eager to get things started. taeyong chuckles, he's been at camp for ten years yet every day is an adventure.

_will things ever be boring here? probably not._

as ten pushes him against the door of cabin twenty one, all those thoughts leave him.

_he has better things to do._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and scene!  
> I wanna make a couple of notes and if you're familiar with any of my works then you already know that I love to ramble in the end notes with as much background info as I can add w/o spoiling stuff:  
> \- this fic takes aspects of the percy jackson universe and twists them. I will be referencing things from the pjo world so it would be ideal to have knowledge about pjo / greek mythology but I'll do my best to make the content more approachable for everyone  
> \- cabin 10 = aphrodite cabin.  
> \- there will be references to multiple idols so you can expect to see some of your faves pop in every once in a while. yeri is the first and she's a child of aphrodite because I think her and jaemin being siblings is a lethal combo.  
> \- i was gonna make the hyuck ship nohyuck but my brand is norenhyuckmin so enjoy ~  
> \- ten's glowing eyes and his need for discord will be explained further as the story progresses.  
> \- note: every one shot is its own story and connects to the overall plot. there's is not one continous linear storyline / narrative. multiple "storylines" happen at once but the purpose of these one shots is to explore the characters, their relationships with one another and how they grow and deal with their flaws. there's no dramatic plot, antagonist or climax. it's just demigod dudes being bros ahsjks.
> 
> I'll leave my twitter & cc below as I will be tweeting snippets and spoilers and welcome any questions about the members! also I'm on chp 5 and don't know which member(s) I should write about or explore so please do let me know what you would like to see. please note that I already have endgame ships so please do not ask me to write about a ship. I welcome certain dynamics or explorations of one character but no ships please ~
> 
> have a nice day and stay safe!
> 
> [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/cosmic_3racha)
> 
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/cosmic_3racha)


	2. i become one with my emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mark lee and his fullsun dilemma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait, more will be explained at the end. enjoy ~
> 
> p.s I'm running on no sleep so just go with it and I'll do one last edit when I'm more cohesive

"yah! lee donghyuck!"

"yes mark hyung," donghyuck sings sweetly. his smile is kind but mark lee knows better, behind that beautiful golden facade is a hellfire demon. 

he storms up to him, keeping a reasonable distance. he's found out the hard way that just because they're best friends, it doesn't mean that hyuck won't hesitate to shoot him with an arrow.

"tell me why at least five people have come up to me with complaints about you and when i asked _why_ they were telling me it's because you made an announcement telling everyone that i was officially responsible for you and would deal with all complaints from now on." 

donghyuck laughs, his laughter pretty and carefree. if he wasn't infuriated, he'd spew nonsense about how cute his best friend is. 

but that wasn't his job. donghyuck had three boys spoiling him rotten. his job was to knock donghyuck's ego down every time it got too big.

"it's just a joke mark hyung. also you've been taking care of me since we were kids, i think at this point you are responsible for me." he says with a shrug of his shoulders, mocking mark's pain.

he continues with archery, ending their conversation and mark lets out a huff of irritation.

and so he does the only thing he can do, he whines about it to johnny.

johnny suh, jack of all trades and father to all at camp half-blood just gives a noncommittal noise as he vents about donghyuck.

"why don't you just tell him all of that." he says, as if it's the obvious thing to do which, no, it is not!

he gives johnny a look. see he loves johnny. he had been mark's only friend pre-donghyuck, when he arrived at camp half-blood and had no idea what was going on. he had followed johnny around like a baby duck until the day a dirty, small, ten year old donghyuck had made fun of mark and told him they were best friends from now on.

he accepted it -- his dad was a greek god for crying out loud -- how much weirder could his life get.

_turns out, a lot more but he wouldn't know that until much later._

"he has a point, you did decide to be his best friend." johnny points out and mark groans.

he should've gone to someone else. johnny is a blessing, honestly he wouldn't trade him for anything, not even for a chance of going back home to canada, okay maybe he would, but still, he loves johnny a lot!

he just happens to be donghyuck biased.

"you're no help." 

is all he says before he ventures off. he stomps his way to the beach, sighing in relief when he feels the ocean breeze.

he knows he's biased, as a son of poseidon the water will always feel like home, but there's nothing more comforting than being by the sea. 

"why the long face, little duck?"

"jesus." mark clutches his chest, sending a small glare at the person beside him, "also don't call me little duck."

ten rolls his eyes and mark almost jumps when he notices that his regular black eyes have a tint of gold. 

"hyung…"

"relax, i'm not here to cause trouble." he can hear bitterness in ten's voice but he doesn't get the chance to address it, "johnny told me i should check up on you since you were, and i quote, going through it."

now it's mark's turn to roll his eyes, "i'm not going through it."

"then why don't you tell me what's really bothering you?" 

he bites his lip. this is ten, he's known him for as long as he's been at camp and he knows he would never make fun of him, but still. mark has never been a fan of vulnerability and talking things out. taeyong said he got it from his dad.

apparently the greek gods weren't fans of heart to heart talks, who would've thought.

"it's just donghyuck…"

he's sighs, feeling a little ridiculous. why is he making such a big deal about this? all donghyuck did was tell people that he's in charge of his complaints from now on. yes it was silly and kind of annoying but it was _a joke._

ten spares him a glance, a small comforting smile on his face, "if there's anything i've learned while being at camp, it's that you don't get to choose how you feel about things. what you feel is out of your control but what you do about them, is not."

to many it would seem odd that ten, son of eris, who welcomes discord and strife, would tell someone to deal with their feelings and avoid negative confrontation.

mark has known him for so long that he knows better. he knows that camp has had a great influence on ten -- he knows that _taeyong_ especially, has helped ten see that just because feelings can be scary or overwhelming, doesn't mean they're not valid and should be dealt with instead of being pushed aside and ignored.

"it's dumb…" he mumbles, dragging this out as much as he can. he's never been a fan of being open about what bothers him.

ten flicks him on the forehead and mark hisses in pain.

"stop being an angsty teen and tell me what's going on. i've known you for eight years, you know better than to give me that kind of bullshit."

mark makes a face. johnny may consider himself the father to all but ten and taeyong are certainly doing their best to put him out of business.

"fine! it bothers me that donghyuck does these kind of pranks and jokes without considering my feelings. i know they're jokes but sometimes it feels like he doesn't even care about how things affect me. and i know that's not true. hyuck loves me and vice versa but… i almost got in trouble with chiron because the complaints were interrupting our meeting and everyone knows i hate inconveniencing people. i just wish he took things more seriously, especially when they concern me and our friendship. "

he's almost out of breath when he finishes, finally letting everything out. for someone so level headed he sure does bottle things up a lot.

ten doesn't offer him pity, something he appreciates, but he does glance at him with understanding.

"i know johnny told you to talk to him and as much as you may detest it, i agree. mark, before i came to camp, i thought the same as you. if something bothered me, why deal with it? it'll go away eventually. it wasn't until i got to camp that i realized, no it doesn't. it may seem like it does but it doesn't and instead it builds until all you feel is resentment. you love donghyuck and he loves you, but if you let these feelings of unease and irritation go, if you let them fester, one day you'll finally snap and say something you'll regret. one day it'll be too late. don't end your friendship because of something that can be easily solved now. tell him how you feel so that you can prevent this from continuing to happen."

mark stares at the ground, taking in ten's advice. could he really hurt donghyuck if he let his feelings fester?

he was a son of poseidon and much like the sea, he was unpredictable and quick to anger. he knew he could be unforgiving and harsh sometimes but would he ever take out his irritation on his best friend?

it sounds impossible to mark -- for the last eight years, he's spent every day making sure no one hurt donghyuck. he had chased down every bully, held him through every nightmare and had given each boy that donghyuck deemed worthy the shovel talk. 

the thought of him yelling, saying something foul enough to make donghyuck cry makes his resolve falter. 

it may be uncomfortable and he may hate it but he'll talk about his feelings every day if that means he'll get to be donghyuck's best friend for the rest of his life.

mark smiles, "thanks for the advice hyung. i'll be open with him and talk about this so it never gets to the point where I do something i regret." 

ten smiles back, looking like a proud father. 

yeah, he's definitely after johnny's title.

he takes in a deep breath and feels his body relax. he must've tensed up while having internal turmoil over this. he can already imagine jaehyun's nagging about not stressing too much because they cause wrinkles and _you don't need to look like you're forty when you're twenty, mark!_

he bites his lip to stop a chuckle. now that he has it all figured out, he feels more at ease and he brims with determination.

tomorrow he'll talk to Donghyuck, tomorrow he'll take the steps needed so that he's more emotionally available and ready to confront his problems when they arise.

_tomorrow._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and scene!  
> i want to apologize for such a long wait time ;; i had finals and i was struggling a lot with this chapter. i think i was forcing myself to write instead of just going with the flow. once i stepped back and just wrote what came to me, i was able to finish in no time. splitting this into two chapters really helped as well. so mark and donghyuck will have their talk in chapter eight! i have planned the first eight chapters so next you will see two new members that have yet to be introduced!  
> here's some notes because i need to ramble on:  
> \- i wanted to pay homage to rick riordan so i did my best to name this chapter in a way that mimics his chapter titles  
> \- donghyuck and mark have such a good relationship 🥺 this chapter is just me projecting because I know i have the bad habit of letting things slide and not saying anything to my friends whenever their actions upset me. i thought it would be good to explore that since it gives a glimpse into mark and donghyuck's friendship and how much hyuck means to mark  
> \- ten's eyes are black and whenever he feels discord or strife, his eyes become gold since discord is his body's natural state. more will be touched upon this in future chapters!  
> \- again, this story isnt a narrative so I'll be skipping around between characters and such. there is never a definite timeline so when I post the continuation of this, itll be the next day but it won't be the next day for the other chapters if that makes sense ajsjks
> 
> I know I made you wait a lot for this chapter but I already have the next chapter written so look forward to that very soon! as always, comments are very much appreciated ~ have a nice day everyone and please stay safe ❤


	3. bad touch trio: discord, justice & sorcery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a moment in the life of the bad touch trio, otherwise known as ten, doyoung and jungwoo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm running on no sleep so just pretend everything is cohesive. i'll do one more edit later when i've actually slept.

"tell me again why i agreed to this?"

jungwoo bats his eyelashes at doyoung, "because you love us and you don't have any other friends."

doyoung splutters in indignation as ten snickers. he really walked into that one. 

"i have other friends!"

jungwoo rolls his eyes, "bickering with taeyong and flirting with jaehyun doesn't count doie."

"flirting! i do not flirt!" 

ten didn't think doyoung could turn so red but what do you know, he learns something new every day. his boyfriend would be proud. 

he can feel the small tingles of euphoria that spread down his body at the discord around him. it used to make him want to rip his skin off, _praying_ that that would make it stop, that it would make him stop enjoying the feelings of agony and discord.

he knows better now. he knows to use his powers for good, not for chaos and strife like his mother. 

honestly fuck that hag.

thunder strikes loudly, letting him know that his mother heard him. _good riddance._

he turns, raising an eyebrow as he spots doyoung and jungwoo still arguing. how is it that the child of discord is the responsible one here?

he clears his throat, "now ladies, you're both beautiful."

"shut up ten!"

"don't you yell at ten!"

"watch your tone! i'm older"

"hag!"

"executioner"

"witch!"

"excuse me."

the two stop and everyone turns to the sound of the new voice.

it's lee jeno, the son of poseidon that follows doyoung around like a baby duck. very fitting if you ask ten.

"jeno! what brings you here?" doyoung asks, his face breaking out into a smile. it's hard to believe that this doyoung was the one cursing jungwoo a few minutes ago.

"kun hyung asked for jungwoo hyung."

ten sends jungwoo a look which he ignores like the brat he is.

jeno hesitates as he turns to look at doyoung, "i ran into taeyong hyung on my way here and he told me to tell you to stop bickering with people like a child."

ten laughs as doyoung let's out a curse that makes jeno cover his ears.

"ten darling, that boyfriend of yours…" doyoung says, teeth grinding together, probably to stop himself from saying something bad about taeyong in front of ten.

"he's amazing isn't he." he says and he can hear the fondness in his own voice. wow, he really is whipped.

jungwoo smirks as if he can read his mind and ten does what all responsible adults do -- he sticks his tongue out at him. jungwoo just rolls his eyes and grabs his bag.

"fools, the both of you. now if you don't mind, i'm going to go see kun," he says as he walks out the door.

"i'll walk with you hyung!" 

jeno rushes out the door and ten can only giggle. _the poor boy._

he turns to doyoung who looks a little tired. the bags under his eyes cause ten to frown and he wonders if doyoung is getting nightmares again. 

maybe if he --

"well doie, it's just us now." he pauses, hoping the other will accept his offer, "wanna cuddle?"

doyoung shrugs, "why not?"

well that was easy.

the two get comfortable on ten's bed. doyoung insists on being the big spoon and ten let's him. what can he say, he is a switch.

"you know i don't mean harm when i get mad at taeyong right?" doyoung mumbles against his shoulder.

ten caresses his hands, "i know doie. he bites back just as much as you do, and you two will argue until the sun rises but i know none of it is malicious."

they've had this conversation before and they'll probably have it again in the future. doyoung and taeyong are friends but the two can never stop bickering or arguing with each other. sometimes it escalates into duels or fights but he knows the two would never purposely harm one other. the two are just too hard headed and too stubborn to back down from a challenge.

"he makes you really happy and he's helped you so much. i'm grateful to him." he mumbles, sleep clearly getting to him.

ten briefly wonders when was the last time doyoung slept properly. children like them: doyoung, ten and jungwoo, had it harder in the nightmare department. when your parents have a crueler side, when they do harm just for fun or for their misguided values, it tends to leave an everlasting mark on their children.

"go to sleep doie." 

all he hears is a slight snore and he chuckles. he loves taeyong but his relationship with doyoung and jungwoo is something he could never replace.

he closes his eyes as he starts to drift.

for the first time in weeks, the two have a peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and scene!  
> i was planning on posting this on tuesday but in solidarity for everything that's going on, i decided against it. I'll discuss that at the end.  
> in this chapter I wanted to explore new characters but I also wanted to give a glimpse into the life of ten. i want yall to see his friends, his conflicted feelings with his mom and his body's need for discord, etc.  
> also if you hadn't guessed it before. tendowoo are called bad touch trio cos that's what three characters in the anime hetalia are called ajsksk. yes im lame, im aware. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and if there's any character combination that you'd like to see please lmk! i really do appreciate comments and they motivate me to update more often 🥰
> 
> onto the important stuff. i personally don't think I have a large platform but regardless of that, I wanted to state my support and hopefully encourage yall to donate and sign petitions if you haven't already. black lives matter, they always have and they always will. being silent is being complacent and there is no more room for that. i have signed petitions and will be donating as soon as I get paid and i highly encourage yall to do the same and spread the word. here is a link to all the information which can navigate you better than i can.
> 
> [BLM info thread](https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/)


	4. someone unionize the apollo kids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a day in the life of kun, ft his two menaces

"i don't get paid enough for this shit."

is all taeil says before he collapses onto one of the beds.

kun snorts, "we don't get paid at all."

he makes a joke but there's concern in his voice. taeil had a habit of taking the majority of the infirmary shifts so that none of their siblings had to. he sacrificed his own free time and sleep in exchange for a peace of mind, knowing that their siblings wouldn't have to deal with what he does on a regular basis.

it's only now that kun is helping him that he gets more than five hours of sleep a night. 

"we should," he huffs, "if i have to take care of another injured camper…"

the bell rings and the two groan. the bell lets them know when someone enters the infirmary and needs medical attention and needless to say, the two aren't excited to hear it ring.

"way to jinx it bro."

"i hate being a son of apollo." taeil gets up reluctantly, looking like he's seconds away from passing out, "would not recommend. in fact, can i have a refund?"

kun chuckles as he moves around preparing their equipment and ambrosia, "think it's too late for that bud."

before taeil can respond, they hear arguing.

"i told you to stop riling him up --"

"i heard you the first time sicheng, stop nagging."

"-- always competing, always challenging him to something, he's a son of _nike,_ xiaojun!"

"i said i heard you the first time. honestly you act like my mother."

_SMACK_

"ow!"

kun shares an exasperated glance with taeil as he recognizes the voices. xiao dejun, better known as xiaojun, is a regular in the infirmary and more often than not, its sicheng helping him get the medical attention he needs.

xiaojun and sicheng enter the room still squabbling and kun looks over the damage.

sicheng is holding xiaojun up, making sure he doesn't put pressure on his right leg which is bleeding so much that he wonders how xiaojun is still awake and bickering.

_must be a child of ares thing,_ he thinks with amusement. children of ares are tough as nails and they usually don't fret or pass out over small injuries, even when they bleed badly.

his jeans are torn but it doesn't look like a deep gash, just multiple cuts that have been bleeding out from exposure and lack of treatment. it's nothing serious and he knows he'll be spending more time on making sure the two idiots don't strangle each other than on actually treating him.

he looks at taeil, "go take a nap, you need it and it's nothing i can't handle alone."

taeil looks at him as if he just gave him the winning lottery numbers.

"you're the best brother ever." 

kun directs xiaojun onto the one of the free beds and chuckles, "don't let hyuckie hear that or you'll never hear the end of it."

taeil pales as he gets up, "god forbid."

there's silence as kun treats xiaojun's cuts who doesn't even flinch when the peroxide is applied. 

taeil claps him on the back and heads to the door, "yugyeom has a shift in about two hours so you can go rest after that. try not to kill anyone okay? that would be counterproductive to what we stand for."

"no promises." he murmurs under his breath, "tell johnny i said hi."

"will do."

the bell rings as taeil leaves and kun finally focuses his full attention on xiaojun. 

he breathes in, clamping his nose and sicheng snickers, "he's going into dad mode."

he flicks sicheng on the forehead, who only rolls his eyes in annoyance, before turning to xiaojun who is making a face at him.

"this is the third time you're in here and it's only tuesday." 

"i'm aware, i injured my leg, not my brain." xiaojun says dryly and sicheng hides a laugh with a cough.

kun gives him an unimpressed look but he can feel his resolve breaking. he's way too fond of these brats. 

"wanna tell me what happened this time?" 

xiaojun tries to look innocent, "well you see, i was minding my own business --"

"doubt it."

"--as i was saying, i was minding my own business, when i spotted guanheng and well you know how we are --"

"stupid with an underlying layer of sexual tension."

"-- WE DO NOT HAVE SEXUAL TENSION! that's disgusting! i almost threw up in my mouth, how dare you imply that sicheng!"

kun is one second away from ripping his hair out, "the point xiaojun, get to the point!"

"right, before i was interrupted with such horrifying implications, i saw guanheng and y'know us, i can't stand the sight of him and he lives to annoy me so he started training right next to me. i decided to just ignore it but he started criticizing my form and how dare he! i'm a son of _ares,_ weaponry and fighting strategies is all we know, my form would never falter. i couldn't take it so I challenged him to a friendly duel. of course the bastard is a son of nike so he used his powers to even the odds to his favor and got lucky with a couple of cuts to my leg. sicheng saw it, freaked out and demanded i come see you, as always." xiaojun finishes off with an eyeroll.

kun was wrong, he won't have to stop sicheng and xiaojun from strangling each other, sicheng will have to stop _him_ from strangling xiaojun. honestly, he knows he won't win against the son of nike but does he ever learn? 

the answer is a no, a big fat no because xiaojun ends up in the infirmary multiple times a week.

kun sighs. somehow he ended up responsible for the two and it's really taken a couple of years off his life.

"i'm not going to lecture you," he puts his hand up, stopping the cheers from xiaojun and protests from sicheng, "i know that won't work, however i will be punishing you. you'll have to help me around the infirmary for two eight hour shifts."

xiaojun grins, "deal!"

sicheng sulks, "that is _not_ a punishment."

"maybe not. maybe xiaojun won't pass out when we have to cut someone open." he teases.

"cool!"

"that's disgusting!

kun laughs as sicheng cries out and xiaojun makes happy noises. god, they may give him a headache on the daily but he loves these two kids as if they were his own.

"what are you doin-- ow! kun, xiaojun bit me!"

"he started it!"

he takes a deep breath.

_here we go again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and scene!  
> gosh im so happy to finally introduce wayv to the story. each member has such complex storylines that I'm so excited to show to you guys!  
> here's some notes  
> \- the infirmary is always open and busy because taeyong runs a tight ship and he's a big fan of preparedness and war strategies so the apollo kids always have plenty of patients. taeil will usually take all of the shifts because he hates the thought of any of his siblings being stuck in the infirmary, especially since a lot of them are young. he's a med student so it's good practice but kun and yugyeom and a lot of older campers do their best to help out because it's too much for one person  
> \- also yes johnny and taeil are dating cos I said so  
> \- ah yes, xiaojun, sicheng and guanheng. they all have the most interesting storylines in my opinion so I'm like jumping for joy at the thought of them. they'll be introduced in the next few chapters because I'm impatient lol. omg sicheng especially 👁👅👁 (anyone a fan of yuwin?)  
> \- xiaojun and guanheng are enemies and you'll find out why in the next chapter. there's a lot that you'll find out then that I won't spoil so just look out for that!
> 
> so yeah, I hope you like the chapter and sorry if its rough. I havent slept (just insomnia thingz) but I'll do one last edit when I'm more cohesive! as always, comments are very much appreciated since they give me validation, and I hope y'all are staying safe. have a nice day / night!


	5. i've won everything but you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> children of aphrodite aren't the only ones who feel pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to angst town babey! i hope you enjoy ~
> 
> *disclaimer: i'm running on two hours of sleep, i'll do another edit with a clearer mind later

"i'll kill you!"

"xiaojun, _no!"_

freeze.

you're probably wondering how yangyang got into this situation. well to be honest, it all started not too long ago.

you see, a year ago yangyang found himself neck deep in some funky forest with no idea how to get to camp half-blood. he had no idea what was going on, when in swoops in a guy with long hair that could easily pass for a disney prince.

he made eye contact with yangyang and huffed, making a decision that would change both of their lives.

"i'm a son of nike, i _never_ lose so follow me if you want to live."

and well, yangyang wanted to live, thank you very much. he followed the stranger, who told him to call him hendery, which is an odd fucking name to be honest, and made it to camp mostly alive.

the trauma that followed, well that was just extra, but he digresses.

where was he? 

oh right, he's in the pavilion, sitting down, enjoying the air as he watches sicheng, son of the plant lady, grab xiaojun, son of the war man, to stop him from killing his best friend and savior, hendery.

you see, xiaojun and hendery have a long history. like way before they were even born kind of history 

nike, the goddess of victory, often accompanies ares and athena in battle as neither of them like losing very much. they all genuinely like each other, although nike prefers athena more, something about wisdom being such a helpful tool in battle.

you would think that xiaojun and hendery would get along since both their parents are acquaintances but no. a very big _no._

xiaojun arrived a week after them and yangyang had been eager to befriend him. they were the only newbies at camp, everyone else had been at camp for _years_ so he figured they had to stick together.

hendery had jokingly asked xiaojun to duel with him, seeing as xiaojun was unclaimed and there was no possible way he could lose.

well…

xiaojun _won_ and was claimed by ares at that exact moment.

hendery had never lost before and honestly, yangyang thought it was good for him. you can't always expect to win, it could have negative consequences if you underestimate your opponent. oh wait, that's _exactly_ what happened.

but for hendery, who's mother guaranteed victory, it was like the world had ended. he cursed xiaojun to always lose against him and declared themselves enemies.

xiaojun, prideful and humiliated for being cursed, never let it go. he challenges hendery to a duel everyday in hope of regaining his honor and breaking the curse.

least to say, he never wins.

he'll come close but hendery _is_ a son of nike. he can alter the results to his favor and guarantee himself victory. it's technically cheating and yangyang would tell hendery that but he likes being alive

and it's not like their fights ever get bad enough, maybe a visit or two - a day - to the infirmary but hendery doesn't _really_ want to kill xiaojun.

"you're dead dejun!"

okay, maybe he does.

yangyang sighs, getting up and making his way to hendery. just as he was getting comfortable the two have to go at it. 

he gets there in seconds, wrapping an arm around hendery. he thanks his father for the super speed as he prevents a murder waiting to happen.

hendery is angrily clenching his fists and glaring at xiaojun who is seconds away from breaking free from sicheng's hold and punching him.

how is it that yangyang is the responsible one here? the things he does for his best friend.

"hendery let it go."

hendery usually puts up a fight with everyone else but he knows better than to go against yangyang. he's not scared of him, god no, there's nothing that scares hendery but he respects yangyang enough to stand down.

"fine." he spits out. he grabs his sword and turns away, nose in the air like a prestigious dog.

yangyang shares an exasperated look with sicheng and says goodbye. 

* * *

"-- he's so irritating! holy hera, i've never met such an arrogant, obnoxious person before and i went to private school!"

yangyang lets out a yawn. it was approaching midnight and hendery didn't sound any closer to finishing his rant.

"and did you see him earlier! he went and told kun all about our little scrimmage! kun gave me his disappointed look! you know how much i hate bothering kun."

"wish you cared that much about bothering me" yangyang mumbles but hendery continues on.

of course he did.

hendery finally walks into the room, done with his skin routine but clearly not done talking about xiaojun. 

yangyang closes his eyes, snuggling into his pillow, "y'know for a guy who claims to hate xiaojun so much, you sure do talk about him a lot."

he splutters, "i do not!"

"uh yeah you do bro. in fact, if i didn't know better, i would say you had a crush on him."

_crash!_

"fuck!"

yangyang opens one of his eyes, spotting hendery rubbing his toe that he must've banged against their dresser.

"you good?"

"fine." hendery says through gritted teeth, pain apparent on his face. 

yangyang stares, watching as panic and another emotion flickers on hendery's face for a split second. it's gone so fast yangyang thinks he imagined it.

he rolls his eyes, it must've been a trick of the light.

"come to bed, i'm tired." is all he says, changing the subject to spare hendery.

hendery nods. he goes to bed quietly and yangyang can only stare. hendery doesn't do _anything_ quietly. there always has to be noise when it comes to him because he hates silence.

he wishes hendery a good night and tries to not think too much about what it means.

_he fails._

* * *

  
  


"you're such an arrogant toe rag."

"who even talks like that? you're so fucking pretentious guanheng, just call me an asshole like everyone else."

yangyang sighs, already feeling exhausted from hearing the two squabble. he's hiding behind a tree, wondering if it's even _worth_ the effort to get them to stop.

"what's your problem anyways! i haven't done anything to you today."

he hears an aggravated huff and prays to his father that he doesn't become an accessory to murder.

"my problem is you, dejun! you walk around acting high and mighty and bothering me when all i want to do is pretend you don't exist."

_ouch._ that was kind of harsh. hendery sounds meaner than usual.

xiaojun scoffs and gives a low chuckle that makes the hair on the back of yangyang's neck stand up.

"that's rich coming from you, huang guanheng. mister perfect, mister can't do no wrong. you always have to be right, you always have to win. maybe you always have to be number one because the moment you stop, you'll realize how sad and pathetic you are. you're nothing but a rich boy compensating for his inadequacy."

_oh._

those words break yangyang's heart. he knows he thought similar about hendery before but he would have never said it to his face, especially when he knows _now_ that it's not true.

hendery may have a stick up his ass but he's one of the best people yangyang has ever met.

he hears footsteps and peaks his head, watching xiaojun walk away with his nose in the air, mimicking the one person he complains so much about.

yangyang's heart tightens as he watches hendery collapse to the ground, his body shaking as he begins to cry.

he's never seen hendery cry.

hendery has broken his arm, has found bugs in his bed, has fallen off a two story building - yet he's never shed a tear.

yangyang rushes over, sitting down. he's not sure what he should say or if he's even allowed to touch hendery.

but hendery makes that choice for him. he scoots over and cries into yangyang's shoulder, allowing him to put his arms around him.

"he didn't mean it hendery. he's just upset and sometimes in the heat in the moment you say things you don't mean." he says, rubbing his back in comfort.

hendery sobs even more and murmurs something that yangyang can't decipher.

"what?"

"he hates me… he hates me and i _love_ him."

it comes out in a whisper, almost as if hendery is too scared to admit it.

"oh hendery i'm so sorry, it'll be okay i promise. its okay."

it's bittersweet lies because yangyang _doesn't_ know if it'll be okay. he's seen the look of hatred on xiaojun's face and nothing he says can take that away.

he joked that hendery had a crush on xiaojun. it was a simple tease, nothing more.

_if he could take it all back he would._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and scene.  
> well that was a lot wasn't it? i honestly planned xiaojun and hendery being romantic interests for one another from the beginning but when i realized i would finally get to mess around with the enemies to lovers trope, i was so excited.  
> some notes:  
> \- so this chapter is obviously in yangyang's pov. i'm doing my best to write the chapters from different member's povs in order to show how much exactly goes on at camp and how it's all connected. because of this, there's a lot that happens in between that yangyang doesn't see or know.  
> \- some background on xiaojun & hendery's relationship: they were friends for almost a month when hendery noticed just how good xiaojun was at fighting and jokingly asked him to a duel. the two were extremely close (although yangyang does not know this and will be explored in future chapters,) so much so that they only allowed one another to call each other by their actual names. no one could call hendery guanheng and vice versa. even tho they're enemies now, it's a habit that isn't easily broken for them. hendery knew he had feelings for xiaojun before they became enemies. like it wasn't intense like it is in this chapter but it was strong. they just clicked right away and even when they "hate" each other, hendery still can all the good xiaojun does. hendery has tried to get over it but xiaojun is his first love and its not something that goes away so easily. the reason why hendery messes with xiaojun so much is because even if he's being mean and saying cruel stuff, at least he's talking / paying attention to him.  
> ☆ right now this relationship is a mess & is toxic but the two will heal and deal with their issue in a healthy way cos we do not approve of toxic relationships where one or both of the individuals hurt one another (be it emotionally or physically.)  
> ☆ also yes, the rest of wayv get together on the regular to gossip about them.
> 
> so yeah I'm excited to explore this going forward!
> 
> ALSO?? to my empathy era followers, how we feeling? I am so excited for nct 2020 ill SCREAM.
> 
> okay, enough babbling. stay safe!


End file.
